Bed bug

Bed bug in Singapore is a very common pest problem to encounter. They are also as known as Cimex lectularius, a nocturnal insect that feeds on blood. They have three body segment, head, thorax and abdomen with two antennae and six legs. They can move very fast and hides very well. When we sleep, we breathe out carbon dioxide. This is how they are able to sense where we are. They will use their antenna to find expose skin for them to suck as much blood as possible from us. Their blood meal can also come from pets in the house, though feeding on a human is still the first priority. Killing bed bugs required a few intensive session.

Appearance

Rusty-red-coloured

Reddish brown

Flat, oval body

5-6mm long ( the size of an apple seed )

Bed Bug Eggs

Bed bug prefers to lay their eggs on rough surfaces. They are visible to the naked eyes but you would need a lot of experience to identify them. Start looking at the cracks and crevices. The infested area can easily consist of dropping, eggs and young nymphs.

The eggs are about 1mm long

Grain like and milky white in colour

Female bed bug lay between one to 5 eggs each day. Can produce up to 500 eggs in one lifetime.

Eggs are laid singly or in a cluster.

Need about seven to ten days to hatch.

They are called nymphs once hatched.

Bed Bug Life cycle

Baby Bed bug ( Nymphs ) ( 1st Instar )

Nymphs shed their skin five times before it reaches the maturity stage. They require a meal before each shedding. Depending on the condition, it will take about 21 days to a month before the nymphs develop to an adult bed bug.

Young adult bed bug ( 2nd Instar to 4th instar )

They grow at about 0.5 mm at each phase of their growth from 2mm to 4.5mm. It is common to see them shedding their skin and get significantly darker in colour.

Fully developed adult bed bug

This is the last stage of their life cycle. They will spend most of their time hiding, mating and laying eggs.

Signs of a bed bug infestation

Bed bug dropping

The black spots on the right are examples of how the dropping look like.

Some of the potential infested areas where you can find them:

Mattress and Box spring

Mattress seams

Bed frames

Wire trunking

Electrical Sockets

Side table

Furniture

Baseboard

Dresser

Nightstand

Sofa

Tips: Always start at areas closest to where the host is sleeping.

Bed bug likes to hide in cracks and crevices.

Bed bug Bites

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Bed bug bites image

Bed bug bites are often found at the thigh, calves, tricep and the back of your body as this is the largest area of your body. They can cause an allergic reaction. You can also develop itchiness around the area and red spots. They normally bite in a straight line or in small areas together. However, this cannot be a confirmation factor that you have a bedbug infestation. Understanding signs of bedbug are still the best way to determine if you have an infestation.

Bed bug bite treatment

It is important to note that since everyone skin reacts differently to a bed bug bite. It is hard to determine an insect bite to a bedbug bite. Wash them off immediately and apply an anti-itch cream on it. Should it not heal within a week, it is advisable to visit the nearest clinic for further assessment.

Some common questions for bed bug?

Q1: What causes bed bug?

Ans: Bed bugs are an excellent hitchhiker. They don’t simply crawl into your home or property. You could bring one home simply by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You could, unfortunately, bring one home from the movies, a cafe, the cab back home.

Q2: Do I need to throw away all my mattress, bed and furniture? and if I do, when should I throw them?

Ans: Although it helps to throw away all the items, it might not be necessary. Our technicians are trained to solve the infestation and save those items. Thus, saving you money from buying a new set. However, we still do come across property owners that really want to throw those items. If you must throw them, do it before we start the first treatment. However, the new furniture should only come in after our last session. This is because bed bug could still harbour at the skirting, trunking or even on a parquet flooring. Bedbugs are small enough to harbour in any tiny creak or opening.

Q3: How did I get a bed bug infestation?

Ans: If you refer to the answer to question 1, there are so many ways for you to get a bed bug infestation. However, we do a little bit of “CSI ing”. Our consultant or technicians will ask you some of the questions below to try to zero in on the possible reasons why you get a bed bug infestation

Have you been travelling? When was your most recent trip?

Unfortunately, some of the hotels that you might stay in, could have a bed bug infestation. They could hitch on your luggage and unknowingly, you brought them back to your home. We would normally start out inspection with the luggage to look for any signs of dropping or eggs.

Did you get a new helper? Or your helper just came back from her trip back home?

70% of our bed bug clients have got the infestation through their helper. The helpers are normally from undeveloped countries and living condition is very different from to what we have here. They might not even know that they have an infestation due to the lack of awareness. One big mistake that a helper normally make is not highlighting the bed bug sighting to you. They may be fearful that they could be sent back to their agency. This can result in the bed bug infestation growing.

Buying second-hand furniture? With so many online platforms to buy second-hand furniture, a lot of property owners manage to get some good deals. But it can turn out to be a bad deal if the furniture comes with an infestation.

Q4: What do I need to do before the treatment?

Our bed bug pest control consists of a liquid application that will leave a residual effect or/and heat treatment. For liquid treatment, ULV misting will be used to treat the infestation. As mist is water-based, it is advisable to cover all electronic appliances with plastic bags. Remove all bed sheet, pillow case, blanket and wash them with hot water. Be prepared to vacate the house for at least for four hours. This will allow the mist to settle in and dry up.

Learn more on how to eliminate bed bugherebelow or simply go to ourpest videosfor more tips and bed bug control measure.

Now that you have understand bed bug better, click here to learn how to control them